Inside Ethan's room, everyone tried to squeeze onto the bed. Since there were six of them and the bed wasn't that big, they had to sit close, almost shoulder to shoulder. The air in the room felt a little heavy, as if something serious was about to be said.
Cassandra finally began to explain everything about Esdeath — her actions, her strange attitude, and how she seemed to be playing a double game. The more she talked, the more everyone's faces changed.
Emma looked completely shocked. Until now, she secretly believed Esdeath might have some good side hidden behind her cold behavior. But after hearing Cassandra, that hope broke apart like glass.
Ethan clenched his fists tightly. "I knew it," he said in frustration, his voice trembling slightly. "I already said we can't trust her!" He sighed deeply and leaned back a little, feeling both angry and helpless.
Belta, who was sitting near the edge of the bed, tilted her head in confusion. "So… if Belta understands it right," she began slowly, "does that mean Esdeath is playing a double agent game with both us and Lortell? Or is she fully on Lortell's side?"
Cassandra shook her head slightly, her face calm but her tone serious. "I don't know. She's too unpredictable. I can't understand what she's really trying to do. The photo she sent us was real, that's for sure. It could easily be used against my sister. So either she has some deep hidden goal… or she's a complete psychopath who just wants to destroy everything around her."
Sylvania rubbed her forehead nervously, wiping away a few drops of sweat. "Either way, it's scary. She acts like she's always one step ahead of everyone. It's like she's watching us all the time."
Violet and Emma didn't say a word. Both looked down quietly, lost in thought.
Cassandra turned her eyes to Ethan, her calm voice breaking the silence. "What about you, Ethan? What do you think of her? What's your honest impression?"
Ethan froze for a few seconds. His hands tightened again. He had things he wanted to say but couldn't. "Should I tell them? About me being a regressor… and that Esdeath is one too?" he thought. But he quickly pushed the idea away.
If he said it, no one might believe him. And if Violet and the others did, it could break their trust completely for keeping such a secret until now. Worse, if they learned Esdeath already knew the future and was something close to a higher being, a star constellation, they'd probably lose all hope. The thought of the coming Age of Chaos would only push them into fear and despair.
Ethan took a deep breath and finally spoke. "She may look like just another student," he said in a low, serious tone. "But she's more dangerous than Lortell."
Ethan didn't say what he was thinking out of anger toward Esdeath. In truth, his feelings were more complicated than that. In his past life, he had hated Lortell with everything he had. The massacre she caused in Swann and the nearby territories had burned itself into his memory. But in this life… things were different. Lortell hadn't attacked anyone. She hadn't harmed a single soul. For some reason, she was quiet — almost as if she wasn't the same person anymore.
While the one thing he couldn't forget was that night — the night when Elara betrayed the academy. Those students… the ones under Caramel's mind control — Esdeath had killed them all without a second thought. No hesitation. No mercy. Just a single clean strike each time.
Cassandra was silent for a while, her blue eyes deep in thought. Then she finally nodded. "Yes. That's why we must deal with her before my sister. I made one mistake before — trusting someone without truly understanding the situation. I won't make that mistake again. This time, we move carefully. Our plans must stay secret. Information should be shared only between us."
Ethan nodded slowly. "You're right. The fewer people who know, the better. It'll lower the chances of leaks. We all know each other well enough — betrayal isn't something we need to fear."
Emma finally spoke up, curiosity clear in her tone. "But… what's the plan exactly?"
Cassandra looked at her and said calmly, "I'll tell you. But first, I need to meet the king. I'm sure he's just as cautious of Lortell and Esdeath as we are. If I talk to him directly, I'm certain he'll help us."
Violet frowned slightly. "So that was the real reason you wanted to meet the king?"
Cassandra nodded. "That's right."
Violet felt a chill down her spine. "She doesn't even trust the princess," she thought nervously.
Cassandra folded her hands and added, "Also… there's one last person who'll join us. I wasn't planning to add anyone else, but this one is different." Her eyes gleamed faintly as she said, "Someone with the potential to become the strongest."
---------------
Meanwhile, in Maruti's room, Brenna was busy getting ready. She had changed into a dark blue dress that shimmered slightly under the light. It had a deep neckline and stopped just above her knees, showing off her smooth legs.
The dress looked stunning on her — it made her look younger and more elegant than usual. But Brenna herself was uncomfortable. She kept tugging at the hem, trying to cover her knees properly, her cheeks slightly red.
"I hope Maruti comes soon…" she muttered, glancing at the door.
Just then — bang!— the door swung open. But instead of Maruti, it was Alice who walked in.
Alice sniffed the air immediately — her sharp beastkin senses catching the light scent of perfume — and her eyes blinked at the sight before her. Brenna, standing there in a gorgeous and revealing dress, froze mid-motion.
"Miss Brenna? Is there a party going on?" Alice asked, clearly confused.
Seeing her, Brenna sighed in relief. "Thank goodness it's you. When I saw the tail's shadow, I thought someone else came in."
Brenna didn't realize that Alice and Kailith had no idea about her private relationship with Maruti. To her, it wasn't something secret — she thought of herself as Maruti's close "friend with benefits." Since Alice and Kailith were also part of Maruti's small circle, she assumed everyone already knew.
But to Alice, the situation made no sense at all. "Then why are you dressed like that if there's no party?" she asked again, her voice carrying honest confusion.
Brenna's lips twitched. "Can she really not understand what's going on?" she thought, embarrassed. Her face turned slightly pink as she nervously played with her fingers, rubbing her knees together.
"Umm… aren't we friends with benefits?" she said in a hesitant voice. "I wore this to surprise Maruti. But since you're here too, you're free to join us."
Her tone was soft and awkward — her face completely red now.
Alice's eyes widened. Her tail, which had been swaying lazily behind her, went completely still. A tense silence filled the room.
Then, her entire expression shifted — her eyes darkened, and her voice changed.
The gloomy and hesitant Alice was gone.
Standing there now was her other self — Arlecchino.
Arlecchino ran her fingers through her hair, a faint laugh escaping her lips as her expression turned sharp and almost predatory.
"Could you," she said slowly, tilting her head with a dark smile, "care to explain that in detail?"
--
At the academy, Ravenna and Kailith were engaged in a duel, though Kailith wasn't particularly interested. Her mother had sent her to train Ravenna and make her stronger, so she had no choice but to comply.
Despite appearances, it was clear that Kailith was holding back significantly. Her strength far surpassed Ravenna's, but she was careful not to show it. Ravenna, with her affinity for nature, could heal herself slowly over time, so Kailith didn't have to worry about injuring her seriously. Occasionally, Ravenna would swing her whip at Kailith or grow tree trunks from the ground, but Kailith easily dodged them all.
"Tch!" Ravenna bit her lip in frustration. She raised her whip high and used her killer move as a final trump card. "Forest of vines!" she exclaimed. Instantly, her whip transformed into multiple green vines that stretched and dug into the ground. Suddenly, giant vines as thick and strong as steel erupted from the earth, quickly attacking and wrapping around Kailith.
But Kailith, with her incredible speed and strength, simply tore the vines away with her hands and charged at Ravenna in the blink of an eye. Ravenna, panicked, grew a sharp wood spike that could easily break boulders and charged it at Kailith with incredible speed. However, Kailith's black tail moved swiftly, and its heart-shaped edge cut the wood spike cleanly in half.
"So sharp!" Ravenna gulped and fell to her knees, exhausted.
"You did good. Let's end it here for today!" Kailith praised, trying to keep Ravenna motivated.
Ravenna was sweating profusely, having used almost all of her stamina. Despite her fatigue, her mind wandered to dirty thoughts. "What if her tail runs down on me like a whip? That would be amazing!" she thought, drool almost escaping her mouth. She quickly shook her head, "I should be loyal to Maruti!" she reminded herself, clearing her thoughts.
She stood up and took deep breaths to calm down. "I need to take a bath!" she added.
"Yeah, I want to too. Let's go together!" Kailith replied casually.
Kailith and Ravenna weren't so strangers, They had talked before and met several times, especially in kindergarten, so Kailith was comfortable with Ravenna.
They decided to go to the public bath in the academy. Since it was closer to evening, no one was there, giving them plenty of privacy.
First, they went to the changing room to take off their clothes and wrap themselves in bathrobes. As Kailith slowly undressed, she instinctively glanced at Ravenna. Ravenna had taken off her upper clothes but still wore a black choker around her neck. However, Kailith froze when she saw something else.
On Ravenna's upper chest, there was a large 'M' written in capital letters. On her lower abdomen, a huge tattoo shaped like a heart in a ancient symbolic style was engraved. It was very similar to what Esdeath had, but Esdeath's was just a tattoo. Ravenna's, however, was real deal and Kailith could sense the mana flowing within it. It was a genuine rune of pleasure.
Kailith pointed at Ravenna's abdomen and asked, "Princess, what does this mean?"
"What do you—? Ahh—" Ravenna started casually, but her heart almost came out as she realized the situation. She had been in her private room for the past few days, bathing alone, and had forgotten that she had engraved Maruti's ownership stamp, just as they had agreed that day.
The big 'M' on her left side of her chest stood for 'Maruti' and 'Masochist,' referring to herself. The rune of pleasure was something she had done on her own accord.
Now that Kailith had seen it, Ravenna didn't know how to explain. But Instead of panicking, her breath grew hotter, and she felt a surge of pleasure. "Being at a point where all my reputation as a princess can be ruined? How exciting!" She could barely hold herself back from pleasuring herself.
But then, she remembered one of Maruti's rules: not to masturbate no matter what. Another rule was for situations like this, where someone else saw her stamp of ownership.
Ravenna smiled shamelessly and said, "I'm a cheap object of my master."